You shouldn’t just be afraid because they’re banning tiktok. You should be afraid because, when this law goes into place, it would effectively set the precedent for them to ban ANY form of media with a foreign investor, or even just foreign influence. Not just from China, but ANY foreign country.
Riot Games allegedly is already under fire. You know, Riot Games, the people who made League of Legends? You know, Riot Games, the people responsible for Arcane?
This gives them the precedent to ban ANYTHING with even a sliver of foreign ownership/influence. At what point does it stop? When do games by Larian Studios get banned? What about games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail? What about apps like WeChat, that people use to chat with family or friends, internationally? How many things do they have to take away for you to care?
They want to control the narrative. They want to control the market. It was never about keeping our data safe. If it was, Meta, X, and god knows how many other companies would be under fire. But they’re not. Instead, they’re getting invited to the White House. You know why people aren’t concerned about Xiaohongshu taking their data? Because American companies do it all the time. And the people know it.
No, TikTok isn’t a perfect platform. No, xiaohongshu is not an ideal replacement. But people worried about the TikTok ban are not chronically online. They are understandably scared. People are not communists because they use a Chinese app to share memes with overseas audiences. They are just people who want to connect and have fun.
Oligarchies do not happen overnight. This ban was not introduced yesterday. These things have been developing for years now, but with recent events, the general public is becoming more aware of them. They are becoming harder to ignore.
Be critical of those in power. Be critical of the news. Be critical of what you see online. Fact check for yourself. Be critical of governments, both foreign and your own. Read banned books. Travel. Stay educated and safe, above all else.
The government prioritizes banning an app when California is on fire, wars are killing innocents, rights are getting stripped away, and a convicted rapist is in office. That should tell you where their priorities lie. It was never about protecting us. It was about benefiting themselves .
I am terrified. And if you’re paying attention, you should be, too.
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